Walking and talking doll mechanism



Nov. 30, 1954 G. ARDOLINO WALKING AND TALKING DOLL MECHANISM Filed Dec. 11, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOgL Anthonq G. Awdolmo ATTORNEYS Nov. 30, 1954 G. ARDOLINO 2,695,472

WALKING AND TALKING DOLL MECHANISM F 'iled Dec. 11, 1953 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. w I Anffionq Ardoflino ATTORNEYS Tia- E Nov. 30, 1954 cs. ARDOLINO 2,695,472

WALKING AND TALKING DOLL MECHANISM Filed Dec. 11, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTOR. Anthonq Q.Avclohno United States Patent 6) WALKING AND TALKINGDOLL MECHANISM it Anthony G. Ardolino, ()range,'(loinn. Application December :11 1953,- Serlal No. 397,701

4 Claims; (Cl.'46-98) This invention relates to a walking and talking dollmechanism. Thewalking'and talking functions are per-- formed by this mechanismand the latter also forms the framework and supportfor the legs, body, arms and' head of the doll.

One of the objectsis to provide a mechanism which is self'powered and causes the doll to walk in a balanced manner and while saying complete sentences, singing songs and the like in a completely intelligiblemanner. Another object is to provide such a mechanism in a form capable of mass-production, which has a long and reliable service life and which permits the talking function to be performed without interference by the walking 1110- tion.. Still another object is to provide an arrangement for using a phonograph recordxof the rotary disk type in a mechanism of this character and which may be repeatedly reset 'without any danger ofscratching the necessary reproducing needle or stylus across the groove so as to increase the records normal surface noise and interfere with the fidelity of the sound reproduction. Other objects-may be inferred from thefollowing disclosure.

A specific example of'the mechanism is illustrated by the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. l is a side. elevation;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of'the upper portion ofthe mechanism shown by Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a front view of the upperportion :of the mechanism;

Pig; 4 is. a partially broken-away elevationalview corresponding-otherwise to Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a detail view-taken on the line 5-5'in Fig. 1; Fig. 6 is a cross section taken on the line 66 in Fig. 3;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view showing details;

Fig- 8 is a cross sectional view of oneof the foot elements of the mechanism; and

Fig. 9 is a sectiontaken on the line 9 9'in Fig. 8.

This illustrated mechanism includes two flat upstanding plates 1 and 2 which= are rigidly positioned in laterally interspaced: relationship. The power for the mechanism is obtained from a spiral springS located betweenthe plates 1 and 2 with its inner end anchored toa winding" key shaft 4 connecting with a driving gear Sby way of the usual ratchet and pawlconnection 6; The outer end of'the-spring is anchored to a rivet 7 which extends between the plates 1 'and 2. The shaft 4 h'as a finger handle 5.5 8 which'extends' through the doll body sothatthe mechanisms spring may be woundr The gear Sis of large diameter and meshes with a pinion 9 secured to a shaft 10 extending through the" plates 1 and 2 and having crank'arms 11 on each of its opposite ends. These cranks 11 directly engage 'extensions 12 forming parts of the two leg parallelograms 13- which' are respectivelylpivoted'to the lower ends of the plates 1 and 2 bypivots 14; The lower ends -ofthe parallelograms 13Jare in each instance pivoted to a foot platform 15,.by rivets 16,-the platform 15 mountingforward wheels 17 which are rotatively free, and rear wheels. 18 which are provided with a ratchet and pawl connection 19 with the platform 15, whereby the wheels 18 turn with forward motion of the platform 15 but are locked-against motion when the platform 15 tries to move backwardly. All of the partsdescribed:may becstamped from sheet metal, excepting for the gears and ratchet wheels, and assembled in a predetermined manner so that the mechanism is self-supporting. when standing: upright. Rotation of-the crank arms 11, which. .are oriented 180 apart, causes the parallelograms .13 toreciprocate back and .forth' with the platforms 15. paralleltothefloor, the wheels 18. in ieachuinstancelocking its platform against backward motion... Thusrthe.mechanismfwalks.forwardly inugood balance tandswithoutsupport.

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To give a more realistic .motion the .upper portionrofthe mechanism mounts a horizontal shafL' 'ZtB- which later-1 ally extends to provide doll armmountings 21,- each of'. these mountings being rotatively mounted on theshaft 26- and provided with a bell crank 22 having one arm pivot ally connected with the crank arm 11, on thatside, by means of a connecting rod 23.- As thernechanism walks the mountings Eli are, therefore, oscillated so asto swing the doilarmsback and forth realistically. A-t-ithe top' or the mechanism a bridge 24 extends bet-ween'the plates- 1 and 2 andpivotally mounts a vertical doll head 'rnounting ZS from which a cross .bar 26 extendsthrough slots 2L7formed in the other arms Zfvof the previously described bell cranks. Therefore, the head mounting 25 =issrotatively reciprocated as the mechanism walks, thus causing the doll head to move realistically incadence with; the swinging of the parallelograms and the .rotative oscillations of the arm mountings 21.

The speed of the mechanism is controlled by a governor" of the type used ongood, spring powered phonographrnotors. The drive from the main power shaft ltl to the governor, required. to actuate the latter, is -also*used to' drive the rotary phonograph record disk.

Thus, a large gear29-is fixed to the shaft 9 andthis"- large gear mesheswith a pinion 30, these parts being; between the two plates 1 and 2. The shaft-31for 'tl1'epinion 3tlextends through the plate 2 and mounts-asprocket 32 closely beside the outside of the -plate 2. The phonograph record driving shaft 33 is mounted between-- the two plates l and 2 and extends through the-plate 2 parallel to'the shaft 31, the shaft 33 having a-larger diam-- eter sprocket 34 secured to it and a rubber belt 35 0f: the type having internal teeth is looped tautly around both of the sprockets 32 and 34. The shaft 33wis mountednear the upper end of the mechanism where there isthe" maximum room inside of the body, and theshaft extends beyond the sprocket 34' and removably mountsa miniature phonograph disk 36.

The drive to the governor is completed by a-speed-increasing gear train 37 starting from i the shaft 33 and extending to the governorshaft 34, the plate 1'beingformed with an opening through which the governor" extends and the outer end of the'shaft 34'being mounted by a bridge 38'mounted on the outside of the platel;

The governor itself consists of the usual .sprung weights 39 which with increased shaft speed throw out centrifu gally and pull up a brake platelll against the bias ofa' compression spring 41. A stationary brake block 42sis" positioned to be engagedby the plate 40 whenthe proper operating speed is reached. This block 42 is'mounted by i a spring arm 43 against which an adjustment screw442. bears so as to permit adjustment of the location of.the" block 42 and, therefore, adjustment of the mechanisms operating speed.

Returning now to thephonograph record 36; the" speed of which is, of course, also governed by the same governor described, it is obviously necessary to :provide a springbiased pickup arrangement to obtain the sound :1 from the record, because of the latters vertical position. Furthermore, the walking motion of the mechanism means that the-pickup must operate adequately when subjected to forces which are'unusual in the sound: equipmentfield. In addition to these factors, the pickup" must be capable of being'reset by a child using the doll, with the least possible danger of the necessary needle or: stylus being dragged transversely across the record grooves.

With the above in mind; a shaft 45 extendsrtransversely through and beyond bothxoutsides of thetwo plates 1 and 2 at a location spaced downwardlyfromthe' periphery of the record 36 when the latter'is mountedfor' playing. Outside of theplate 2. the shaft 45. has a, spacing hub 46 rigidly secured to it, and beyond the outside oftheplate 1 the shaft 45 has a compression spring 47 which encircles the shaft and spring biases the shaft-"45 so-asto maintain the hub 46 pulled against the plate: 2. The shaft 45 and hub 46 are rotatively mounted" relative to the plates land 2." The outer end of the hub 46--has"a flat cantilever spring 48 rigidlyfixed to it 'and this spring extends upwardly and, functioning as :a tone arm; mounts the pickup 49 from which theneedle 50 =ex tends inwardly so as to engage the grooves of the record This part 49 is a combination pickup and loud speaker. It is of the type wherein the needle 50 is connected by a motion amplifying system with a conical paper diaphragm 51, the parts being mounted in a cylinder which by resonance tends to reinforce acoustically the action of the diaphragm 51. Pickup devices of this type are generally used for acoustical effects in the toy field.

The spring 47 keeps the hub 46 solidly mounted so that it is not subject to vibration caused by the needle 50, yet the hub 46 is free to turn. The needle 50 is biased against the groove of the record 36 by the firm action of the flat cantilever spring 48, so when set at the start of the record the needle 50 positively tracks the record groove without groove-jumping, and this sound box providing the diaphragm 51 is adequately held against vibrations such as might produce unpleasant sound effects.

A particularly important feature of the present invention is the incorporation into the above mechanism of a finger lever 52 which is rigidly secured to the cantilever spring 48 between the sound box and the hub 46 and which extends transversely from the spring 48 far enough to project through a transversely elongated slot 53 formed in the doll body generally indicated by the wall 54. The slot 53 may be arcuate to coincide with the arcuate motion of the finger lever 52 when the latter is used to swing the spring 48 so as to swing the sound box or reproducer 49 to bring the needle 50 from the end of the record groove back to the start of this groove. This finger lever has its outer end provided with a finger depression 55 so that a child may press her finger tip on this depression 55 and swing the lever 52 as required to bring the needle 50 to the start of the record groove.

The pressure with which the hub 46 is forced against the plate 2 by the spring 47 prevents this hub 46 from turning with complete freedom. This frictional restraint has the advantage of preventing the sound reproducer from swinging so freely as to cause trouble during the action of the mechanism while walking. Furthermore, it makes it necessary to use a fair degree of force when swinging the lever 52 to reset the needle. The child exerts this force naturally by pressing down hard on the depression 55 with her finger tip while swinging the parts, and in doing this she automatically flexes the spring 48 so that the needle 50 is clear from the record while being returned to the start of the record groove. The resetting action is simple and positive yet in this foolproof manner it prevents the needle from being scratched across the record.

The groove of the record 36 may terminate with the usual rapid spiral provided for automatically stopping in the case of a phonograph. The shaft 45 has a fork 56 fixed to it so that one prong of the fork, at 57, engages positively with a part of the governor so as to lock the latter against rotation when the needle 50 is moved over by the run-out or stopping groove spiral. A pin 58 is positioned so that when the child swings the lever 52 forwardly the forward portion of the part 57 engages this pin 58 when the needle 50 is positioned opposite to the start of the records sound groove.

It can be seen that to start the mechanism the child uses the lever 52 as previously described so as to set the needle at the start of the record, and while doing this there is practically no danger of scratching the record with the needle. As the record approaches its end the sound groove may include speech indicating that the doll incorporating the mechanism, has become tired and would like to be picked up. Promptly thereafter the needle may run into the run-out groove so as to automatically stop the mechanism as described. The action involved in winding the spring, to power the mechanism, is obvious.

I claim:

1. A Walking and talking doll mechanism including a frame, a shaft mounted by the frame, a motor for rotating the shaft, a phonograph disk record mounted on the shaft, a pivotal mounting beyond theperiphery of the record, a cantilever spring extending from the mounting with an end mounting a sound box from which a needle extends to playing engagement with the record, and a rigid lever extending transversely from the spring between the mounting and sound box so that when the.

lever is depressed and swung the sound box and its needle are lifted to free the needle from the record while also swinging the sound box, the pivotal mounting having a frictional engagement with a relatively immovable surface andhaving a spring by which the mounting is biased towards the latter.

2. A Walking and talking doll mechanism including a frame, a shaft mounted by the frame, a motor for rotating the shaft, a phonograph disk record mounted on the shaft, a pivotal mounting beyond the periphery of the record, a cantilever spring extending from the mounting with an end mounting a sound box from which a needle extends to playing engagement with the record, and a rigid lever extending transversely from the spring between the mounting and sound box so that when the lever is depressed and swung the sound box and its needle are lifted to free the needle from the record while also swinging the sound box, the pivotal mounting having a frictional engagement with a relatively immovable surface and having a spring by which the mounting is biased towards the latter, the frame having parallelogram walking legs pivoted thereto and the shaft, a pivotal mounting beyond the periphery of the record, a cantilever spring extending from the mounting with an end mounting a sound box from which a needle extends to playing engagement with the record, and a rigid lever extending transversely from the spring between the mounting and sound box so that when the lever is depressed and swung the sound box and its needle are lifted to free the needle from the record while also swinging the sound box, the pivotal mounting having a frictional engagement with a relatively immovable surface and having a spring by which the mounting is biased towards the latter, the frame having parallelogram walking legs pivoted thereto and which have foot platforms with rollers equipped with reverserotation locks, and means for connecting these legs to said motor for oscillation thereby, whereby a single motor powers both the record and the legs, the cantilever spring being a flat spring positioned in the general plane through which it swings while playing the record.

4. A walking and talking doll mechanism including a frame, a shaft mounted by the frame, a motor for rotating the shaft, a phonograph disk record mounted on the shaft, a pivotal mounting beyond the periphery of the record, a cantilever spring extending from the mounting with an end mounting a sound box from which a needle extends to playing engagement with the record, and a rigid lever extending transversely from the spring between the mounting and sound box so that when the lever is depressed and swung the sound box and its needle are lifted to free the needle from the record While also swinging the sound box, the frame having parallelogram walking legs pivoted thereto and which have foot platforms with rollers equipped with reverse-rotation locks, and means for connecting these legs to said motor for oscillation thereby, whereby a single motor powers both the record and the legs, the motor having a rotary governor, and a lever swinging with the said cantilever spring through a path bringing the lever into stopping engagement with the governor when the end of the record is reached, whereby the mechanism stops walking when the record playing is ended.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date D. 138,565 Adair Aug. 22, 1944 1,178,840 Cassard Apr. 11, 1916 1,260,159 Dimario Mar. 19, 1918 1,912,291 McDermott May 30, 1933 1,992,477 Domowitch et al. Feb; 26, 1935 T 2,224,332 Alsbrook, Jr Dec. .10, 1940 2,580,071 Bunyard Dec. 25, 1951 

